The UniFi UNAS 2 NAS Review – Value vs Scale
Note, the UNAS Pro 2 is NOW LIVE on the UniFi Store . The UNAS 4, UNAS Pro 4 and UNAS Pro 8 are now in the site, but are not available till October.
The UniFi UNAS 2 is a compact, entry-level two-bay desktop NAS introduced as part of Ubiquiti’s second phase of NAS development, following the debut of the UNAS Pro in 2024. That earlier seven-bay rackmount system was notable for its low $499 price and integrated 10GbE connectivity, but it had an unconventional design, limited fan control, and no support for USB expansion. By contrast, the UNAS 2 shifts away from rackmount hardware and into the desktop market, adopting a much smaller form factor and prioritising simplicity over raw performance. Measuring 13.5 x 12.9 x 22.37 cm and weighing only 1.3 kg, it is one of the smallest systems in the UniFi NAS range and is constructed from polycarbonate rather than steel, reinforcing its role as an affordable, lightweight device.
The hardware is designed primarily for modest storage requirements, supporting two 3.5-inch hard drives with a maximum combined power budget of 52W and an overall consumption ceiling of 60W. The device operates on a single 2.5 GbE RJ45 interface, which also functions as a PoE++ input, removing the need for a conventional power supply unit but requiring either a compatible PoE++ switch or the included 60W injector. This approach marks a clear departure from the UNAS Pro, which included a standard power connector and optional redundancy through additional PSU modules. In practice, the reliance on a single port for both power and data streamlines installation within UniFi networks, but it also introduces a single point of failure and reduces flexibility compared with larger systems.
UniFi UNAS 2 Review – Quick Conclusion
The UniFi UNAS 2 is a compact, entry-level NAS that prioritises simplicity and integration within the UniFi ecosystem over flexibility or raw performance. Its use of PoE++ for both power and connectivity makes installation straightforward in environments with compatible UniFi switches, but it introduces reliance on a single port and limits deployment outside that infrastructure, even with the included injector in the retail kit. The system supports two 3.5-inch drives in a shared non–hot-swappable tray, with RAID 0, RAID 1, or single-disk setups available, but there is no option for expansion or NVMe caching. Hardware consists of a quad-core ARM Cortex-A55 processor with fixed 4 GB of LPDDR4 memory, which is efficient but imposes clear limits on throughput and application scope. Performance testing produced read speeds up to 260 MB/s and writes in the 160–180 MB/s range, sufficient for the 2.5 GbE interface but reflective of the modest hardware and thermal constraints, with CPU temperatures often approaching 80°C under load. Software provides a clean interface with snapshots, RAID tools, backups to other UniFi NAS or cloud services, and user management tied to UniFi identity, but features such as iSCSI, encryption, and granular backup rules are absent. As a result, the UNAS 2 is best suited as a secondary or edge storage device, particularly for UniFi users seeking easy integration, but it lacks the scalability and depth of established NAS platforms needed for primary or enterprise deployments.
| Here are all the current UniFi NAS Solutions & Prices: |
You can buy the UniFi UNAS 2 NAS via the link below – doing so will result in a small commission coming to me and Eddie at NASCompares, and allows us to keep doing what we do!
UniFi UNAS 2 Review – Design
The UNAS 2 adopts a small desktop form factor, measuring 135 x 129 x 223.7 mm and weighing 1.3 kg. Its enclosure is constructed from polycarbonate, which makes it lighter and less industrial than the steel-based rackmount models in UniFi’s NAS range. The compact build is suited for environments where space is limited, and it operates within an ambient temperature range of -5 to 40°C and a humidity tolerance of 10–90% non-condensing. With only two drive bays, the UNAS 2 positions itself as an edge device for simple storage and backup, rather than a primary data management system.
Drive installation is handled through a single removable cage that holds both 3.5-inch drives. Each drive clips into place using a shared tray design, with both units inserted in opposite orientations to align with the SATA connectors. While this arrangement is functional, it has some limitations.
There is no support for hot swapping, meaning the system must be powered down before drives can be replaced. Additionally, the shared cage design requires both drives to be handled together, which increases the risk of disturbing a healthy drive when removing or replacing a failed one.
Cooling is managed by a small fan located at the rear, supported by passive ventilation channels at the base of the unit. Air is drawn in from underneath and expelled from the top section, ensuring airflow across the drives and the system board. Thermal tests recorded CPU temperatures in the range of 75–80°C during higher utilisation, with the chassis surface reaching around 39–50°C depending on workload.
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The fan is adjustable via UniFi’s management interface, offering a choice between balanced operation and higher cooling at the expense of noise.
Noise levels ranged from 31–32 dBA in idle to 35–38 dBA under load, influenced heavily by the vibration of installed drives.
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At the front of the unit, UniFi has integrated a 1.47-inch colour LCM display for system information. This provides basic details such as network status, storage health, and system alerts, but it is not touchscreen and cannot be used for configuration.
The lack of interactive control means that most management tasks still need to be handled through the UniFi OS console. LED indicators are also present for system status, and a physical locking mechanism is built into the drive cage, preventing accidental removal.
From a storage perspective, the UNAS 2 supports standard RAID configurations for two drives, namely RAID 0 and RAID 1, in addition to single-disk setups. Given the limitations of two-bay devices, RAID 1 is the most practical option, prioritising data protection over capacity.
The system officially supports large-capacity HDDs, with tests confirming compatibility up to 30 TB drives. However, there is no expansion capability through additional enclosures, and the single USB-C port on the front is limited to attaching external drives for storage or backups. This means users are confined to the internal two-bay maximum, making long-term planning important for deployment.
UniFi UNAS 2 Review – Internal Hardware
The UNAS 2 is built around a quad-core ARM Cortex-A55 processor clocked at 1.7 GHz. This CPU architecture is designed for efficiency rather than high computational output, which makes it suitable for low-power storage operations, but less capable for advanced workloads such as virtualisation, heavy encryption, or on-the-fly media transcoding.
During testing, CPU temperatures generally remained in the 75–80°C range under sustained use, dropping closer to 50–60°C when idle or under light activity. While these figures fall within operating limits, they reflect the modest cooling design of the enclosure and the limited thermal headroom of the ARM-based hardware.
The device includes 4 GB of LPDDR4 memory, which is soldered to the board and cannot be expanded. This fixed allocation is sufficient for handling RAID 1 synchronisation, snapshots, and standard multi-user file operations, but it sets a ceiling on the system’s multitasking capability.
Unlike larger UniFi NAS models that feature 16 GB of memory, the UNAS 2’s hardware is intended only for light to moderate workloads. Memory use during testing reached high utilisation during RAID synchronisation but did not exceed available capacity, suggesting that UniFi has provisioned enough for the intended use case, while keeping the system constrained to its role as an entry-level solution.
The operating system is stored internally and runs independently of the installed drives, leaving both bays available for data. This separation ensures that the system can still boot even if both drives are removed or replaced. Storage management is limited to the basic RAID levels supported by two-bay systems, and no M.2 NVMe slots are included for caching or tiered storage, a feature reserved for larger UniFi NAS models. As such, the internal hardware of the UNAS 2 reflects its role as a secondary or edge device, designed primarily for straightforward storage and backup within a UniFi-managed network.
| Component | Details |
|---|---|
| CPU | Quad-Core ARM Cortex-A55, 1.7 GHz |
| Memory | 4 GB LPDDR4 (non-upgradeable) |
| Drive Bays | 2 x 3.5″ SATA HDD |
| NVMe Support | None |
| RAID Support | RAID 0, RAID 1, Single Disk |
| Hot Swap | Not supported |
| System Storage | Internal flash for operating system |
UniFi UNAS 2 Review – Connectivity & Performance
The UNAS 2 relies on a single 2.5 GbE RJ45 port for both data and power, with PoE++ providing up to 60W of combined budget. This integration reduces cabling and eliminates the need for an external power brick, but it introduces a single point of failure. That said, the UNAS 2 retail kit DOES include a PoE mains adapter, so ultimately the end user does have the option of deploying in a traditional manner (though power and network connectivity are still funnelled into the same connector).
If the cable or port fails, both power and connectivity are lost. A 60W PoE++ injector is included in the package for users without a compatible PoE++ switch, but this approach remains less flexible than traditional dual-port NAS designs. There is no secondary network interface, Wi-Fi connectivity (rare in a system of this scale, but would allow for failover if it was), support of a USB network adapter or option for link aggregation, which makes the system dependent on one connection for all network and power needs.
In addition to the Ethernet port, the front of the device includes a USB-C interface rated at 5 Gbps. This provides the ability to attach external storage devices, enabling data import, backups, or temporary storage expansion. However, the USB port is limited to storage and does not support network adapters, UPS integration, or official expansion enclosures. While the addition of USB-C addresses one omission from the UNAS Pro, its functionality is constrained and focused solely on external drive access.
Network throughput reflects the limitations of a dual-drive ARM-based NAS. In testing with two 8TB HDDs in RAID 1, sequential read speeds reached around 260 MB/s, while write speeds varied between 160–180 MB/s depending on workload. Benchmarks such as AJA and CrystalDiskMark confirmed this pattern, with read performance consistently higher than write due to the processor’s handling of RAID and data caching. These figures make effective use of the 2.5 GbE interface but leave no capacity to challenge higher multi-gigabit standards.
Power consumption aligns with UniFi’s published specifications, averaging 16–17W in idle, 18–20W during light activity, and 23–24W under heavier use. Peak usage during sustained transfers with RAID synchronisation reached approximately 25W, well below the 60W ceiling. Thermal monitoring showed the CPU rising toward 79–80°C under stress, though the chassis fan helped bring temperatures back into the 50–60°C range once load reduced. These results indicate that while the system operates within its defined limits, sustained workloads push the ARM processor and cooling system close to their maximum operating range.
Noise levels were modest, with idle operation producing around 31–32 dBA and workloads raising this to 35–38 dBA. The shared dual-drive cage design contributed to additional vibration, particularly when placed on a hard surface. Rubberised feet help dampen this effect, but vibration noise was noticeably reduced when the device was placed on softer material such as foam. Overall, while the system remains relatively quiet, its acoustic profile is closely tied to the drives selected and the surface it rests on.
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Network Interface: 1 x 2.5 GbE RJ45 (PoE++)
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USB Ports: 1 x USB-C (5 Gbps, storage only)
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PoE Power Budget: 60W (52W available for drives)
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Power Supply: 60W PoE++ injector included
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Max Consumption: 60W (typical 16–25W during use)
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Tested Performance: ~260 MB/s reads, 160–180 MB/s writes (RAID 1, HDDs)
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Noise Levels: 31–32 dBA idle, up to 38 dBA under load
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Temperature Range (Observed): 75–80°C CPU under stress, 50–60°C idle/light use
UniFi UNAS 2 Review – Software and Services
The UNAS 2 runs on UniFi’s NAS management platform, which follows the same single-pane-of-glass interface design seen in the UNAS Pro and UNAS Pro 8. Administration is carried out via a web browser or through a ui.com account, with the option to disable cloud access and operate the system entirely on a local network.
The interface consolidates system status, storage health, user accounts, and backup management into one dashboard. While straightforward to use, it does not provide the same level of customisation or feature depth offered by longer-established NAS operating systems such as Synology DSM or QNAP QTS.
Storage management is limited by the two-bay architecture. Users can create RAID 0 or RAID 1 volumes, or operate drives independently. Drive health monitoring, temperature reporting, and snapshot scheduling are all included, allowing basic resilience and file recovery options.
Snapshots can be created and managed at the folder level, with the ability to lock snapshots to prevent deletion. Encryption, however, does not appear to be available on the UNAS 2, in contrast to larger UniFi NAS models where encrypted volumes are supported.
Backup functionality includes both system configuration and file-level options. Configuration backups can be stored locally or uploaded to a ui.com account, allowing the system to be restored quickly if reset or replaced. File-level backups extend to other UniFi NAS systems and selected cloud services, including Google Drive, with scheduling available for automation.
Local LAN backups to other storage devices via SMB are also supported, though filtering and exclusion rules are limited. The system is therefore capable of basic backup routines but lacks the more granular tools available on competing platforms.
User and access management is integrated into the UniFi ecosystem. Administrators can create local accounts or bind accounts to UniFi’s identity services, with two-factor authentication supported via the UniFi Verify app.
Permissions can be set at the folder level, and users can be restricted to LAN-only access if required. Supported protocols include SMB and NFS, but there is no iSCSI target functionality, limiting its application in virtualisation or editing workflows.
The software also includes fan control and system monitoring tools, but resource reporting is basic, with only CPU and memory utilisation graphs available.
Overall, the software reflects UniFi’s effort to balance simplicity with integration, but it remains less comprehensive than that of established NAS vendors.
UniFi UNAS 2 Review – Verdict and Conclusion
The UniFi UNAS 2 is presented as a compact and affordable two-bay NAS designed for straightforward storage and backup tasks, particularly within environments already using UniFi networking hardware. Its PoE++ design is distinctive, allowing both power and connectivity to be delivered over a single cable, simplifying installation where compatible PoE switches are available. This approach aligns with UniFi’s strategy of reducing external hardware requirements, though it also means that a failed port or damaged cable will disable both power and network access simultaneously. For non-UniFi users, the reliance on PoE++ creates an additional barrier, as adoption requires either compatible infrastructure or the included 60W injector. The shared dual-drive tray, lack of hot-swap support, and absence of expansion options further reinforce the system’s role as a fixed-capacity solution, best suited to smaller or secondary deployments. With a maximum drive budget of 52W and overall consumption limited to 60W, the device is power-efficient, but its architecture prioritises simplicity over flexibility.
On the software side, the UNAS 2 provides a user-friendly interface with access to snapshots, RAID configuration, system backups, and integration into the UniFi identity ecosystem. However, the limited hardware constrains the range of features available, and certain tools seen in UniFi’s larger NAS models are absent, such as encrypted volumes or extended network protocol support. Performance testing showed sequential read speeds up to 260 MB/s and write speeds around 160–180 MB/s, which make full use of the 2.5 GbE interface but leave little headroom for more demanding tasks. Thermals during extended use regularly pushed the CPU into the high 70s Celsius, and although fan management can be adjusted, sustained workloads highlight the limits of the system’s cooling design. The software’s omission of iSCSI and advanced backup filters also narrows its role, making it less competitive against established vendors in professional or virtualisation scenarios.
Ultimately, the UNAS 2 is most appropriately positioned as an edge or secondary NAS, providing basic networked storage for existing UniFi users who value plug-and-play deployment and ecosystem consistency, but it is not equipped to serve as a primary system in larger or more demanding environments (VMs, Containers, etc). A great and unique NAS that will nbe at it’s most appealing if you are already invested in the UniFi ecosystem, or have a NAS already that needs a network backup.
You can buy the UniFi UNAS 2 NAS via the link below – doing so will result in a small commission coming to me and Eddie at NASCompares, and allows us to keep doing what we do!
| Here are all the current UniFi NAS Solutions & Prices: |
| PROs of the UniFi UNAS 2 NAS | PROs of the UniFi UNAS 2 NAS |
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It’s a neat device, I had not expected a POE+ NAS. The design is clean, it does remind me a bit of an air purifier so definitely not something that would stand out in a reception or living room.
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Thats a nice DBC-611G!
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they still didn’t add docker support to NAS… the day they do that, will be the day i switch over to their NAS solutions
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This is Unifi. Hardware first, then better software as popularity is confirmed/demanded/begged for.
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I know I’m not most people, but this would be so much more a killer app if they has put a UniFi wrapper on docker and allowed containerization.
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UPi. UNAS looking rack device that the bays can have RasberyPi mounted in them and the Unifi software can control firewall rules into the network, power control, remote keyboard input and USB/HDMI interface. Maybe USB/HDMI connections over ethernet for video to monitors and USB drives for zigbee antennas. Just the ultimate tinkering rack mounted chassis.
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While I love the idea and the price I do think it should have come with 8GB of ram or at least had the ability to be upgraded.
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Is it possible to backup Ubuntu? Thx
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This time they have a black version. The pure white design always looked to me (similar to Apple devices) like it belongs to a bathroom or a clean room in a medical establishment.
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This time they have a black version. The pure white design always looked to me (similar to Apple devices) like it belongs to a bathroom or a clean room in a medical establishment.
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Does this also force a format or can it be populated with loaded discs?
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Does this also force a format or can it be populated with loaded discs?
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Shut up and take my money!
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Shut up and take my money!
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Please excuse my noob question but can I create a multi-version backup from Synology Hyper Backup to UNas2 in SMB partition? Looks like yes, but I want to be sure about it. I am currently backing up everything to usb drive and want to change it something more robust. Huge thanks!
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Please excuse my noob question but can I create a multi-version backup from Synology Hyper Backup to UNas2 in SMB partition? Looks like yes, but I want to be sure about it. I am currently backing up everything to usb drive and want to change it something more robust. Huge thanks!
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Ubiquiti make good products, but you can build something small on top of techologies well known for NAS setups. Users need a NAS to be rock solid and the same company that released the dream machine machine routers I wouldn’t trust with my data.
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Ubiquiti make good products, but you can build something small on top of techologies well known for NAS setups. Users need a NAS to be rock solid and the same company that released the dream machine machine routers I wouldn’t trust with my data.
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I doubt this product will sell well. It seems tailored for entry-level but what newbies have POE setup?
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I doubt this product will sell well. It seems tailored for entry-level but what newbies have POE setup?
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Hardware RAID in 2025?
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Hardware RAID in 2025?
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I hope they will also stick to just pure storage in the future and just make a dedicated “host” device or lineup for docker and VMs. If they gonna make there NAS systems run these, they a: need way better Hardware and this makes them more expensive or b: they will run so extreamly slow that they will be unusable.
I want cheap and fast expendable storage and not an all in one Product like Synology or QNAP that will run like ass.
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I hope they will also stick to just pure storage in the future and just make a dedicated “host” device or lineup for docker and VMs. If they gonna make there NAS systems run these, they a: need way better Hardware and this makes them more expensive or b: they will run so extreamly slow that they will be unusable.
I want cheap and fast expendable storage and not an all in one Product like Synology or QNAP that will run like ass.
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PoE Only is a wild choice.
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PoE Only is a wild choice.
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Can you add a SATA SSD cache to the existing 7-bay UNAS Pro if Unifi Drive now supports SSD caching?
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Can you add a SATA SSD cache to the existing 7-bay UNAS Pro if Unifi Drive now supports SSD caching?
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Would love to see a future video around getting “just storage” NAS’s and then getting a mini-pc to run your containers (ie OS, connectivity, etc etc)
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Would love to see a future video around getting “just storage” NAS’s and then getting a mini-pc to run your containers (ie OS, connectivity, etc etc)
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Another video on UNAS ???? 2nd one. A few of my regulars have videos on it.
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Another video on UNAS ???? 2nd one. A few of my regulars have videos on it.
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Well now! Looks like what was old is new again!
Does anyone else remember the old Apple Timecapsule? Looks the same, fundamentally acts the same, and let’s face it, aimed at the same.
Not for me, BUT….
This is a smart move from ubiquiti.
Forget the complex. Gimme something simple that a student can afford to make sure their book report or thesis gets backed up.
Same core developers who developed the Apple Timecapsule, only to be shuttered by the evil empire.
This is ironic, rich, and utterly hilarious/genius.
I LOVE THIS!
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can you backup to usb? I didn’t see the option
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Eh, the Aoostar R1 N150 to me is a much better value.
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synology must be kicking themselves lol.. they had this market sewn up like a kipper basically Until some moron decided to alienate the userbase.
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Hardware is there but software needs to follow. Without a proper apps this is not going to work for Synology runaways 🙂
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is it possible to load your own OS on it?
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Why is there not a 5/6 bay model in a similar form factor?! 4 isn’t enough…
Great timing though for the review
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Only need thing they need before I fully invest is better software for the units. They need to add something like Active Backup For Business for these units That alone would get me on board 100%. An app store in general would be nice but thats much more further down the line.
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This would be perfect for deploying at relatives home’s for backups, alongside an unifi express/dream machine!
Only thing it’s missing for family backups is 1) a phone photos backup app and 2) ability to turn the HDDs on/off on schedule, either to save electricity or reduce noise in the evening if it’s in the living room!
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I just want backup software and docker support.
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Hi! I’m wondering if it’s possible to use the UNAS-2 as an offsite backup for my Synology NAS. Can I set up an automated backup from my Synology to the UNAS-2 and restore everything from it if needed?
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Can I pull my UGreen NAS Hard Drives and place them in this without Data loss? Sorry newb here.
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I hope it doesn’t have that horrible soft touch plastic they sometimes use. It falls apart in a few years and turns into a sticky mess. I’ll be passing on this because no nvme and 10gbe option.
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I love Ubiquiti and recently traded my Synology NAS for a Green. At this price point I would recommend the DXP2800, it give you so much more value for your money compared to this UNAS 2.
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The single PoE port is a risk imho for an abrupt shutdown if you update or restart the switch and don’t use the adapter.. I wonder if they are considering that in their software.. Does a grace shutdown option exists?
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Seems a perfect replacement for the old Apple AirPort Time Capsule!
Perfect timing as Apple are discontinuing support for Time Capsule in macOS27. And Apple Time Machine backups are already encrypted so the lack of disk encryption isn’t an issue luckily.
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the price is good
what I need to know is if the unit fails can the drives be migrated/imported to a new unit and have the data available?
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I just needed to be able to run basic apps like Plex
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Dang, for $199 it’s a great deal!
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Can you use as a standalone NAS outside of Unifi?
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PoE is an interesting twist.
No DLNA functionality for multimedia streaming?
Perhaps they’re avoiding iSCSI because of the additional tech support they’d need to provide.
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Love the desktop 4 bay unit. Will definitely get that for my home. Will you do a review of it? Test caching performance for small files and such? How large cache SSD makes sense to have? 2x 500GB? 2x2TB?
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Thanks for the review! I like their thinking with their NAS devices being for storage only. Mini PCs are so cheap now that anybody looking to do enthusiast level stuff with their NAS is better served by a low price NAS + MiniPC vs a high priced all in one device.
I do think they are missing some key storage functionality from this though – especially for me, I would want some kind of cloud sync to “reverse backup” my Google Drive etc onto the NAS in case I lose access to my Google account. And encrypted backups? I didn’t see an option to encrypt the backup in the backup task creation screen.
Hopefully they can add some of these things soonish.
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I think the UNAS 4 is going to steal the show when released.
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Just a shame there is no Docker/Container support, otherwise seems a solid NAS.
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Good video thanks. Will you be doing a video on how we would back this kit up to an existing Synology NAS?
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I heard about these coming about a month and a half ago. Was at a Unifi event LAST WEEK! They didn’t have these there even, but they mentioned that a desktop 4 bay was coming. Now then they are in the store we can discuss them.
The 4 bay with m.2, is SSD only used for caching or can you have tiered storage pools?
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A slim model for 2.5 drives would be nice
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I am ok to use NAS as NAS only, as I’m running my services on MiniPCs, but I need more than 2.5GBe.
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Very much looking forward to the 8 bay pro model with 2 caching drives. That needs iSCSI. I am unsure on the UNAS Pro (existing model) due to 7 bays. But 8 bays with caching drives, for a bit more $, will be a great simple NAS to back up to and use to store VM snapshots and software installers, backup of NVRs. Now here’s hoping the local importers put this on their pricelists, as I can’t buy from the US (the UI store just cancels orders to freight forwarders these days)
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The contrast between Ubiquiti and Synology is striking
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They just need to update the CPU so we can run containers and it’s a done deal. Many turn key solutions, Qnap & Synology, already support this so it’s strange that this is pure purpose built.
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Synology fumbled their own bag so bad. Incredible how idiots in management can destroy a brand in 1-2 moves.
Good on Unifi
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Imagine Synology 225+ is just around 280,-USD with zillions applications, docker and mainly Active Backup – the most important piece of software for NAS – as a backup device. You can backup physical machines, Windows, Mac, Linux servers and also Vmware and Hyper-V hypervisors. Thats insane for that price. I hate Synolog to the core – but that 280USD price is unbeatable. You populate it with 2x4TB original Synology drivers /99USD/, which are the only not-overpriced ones, and you have much much better system than this UNAS2. I think that smallest Synology NAS /225+/ is the only one which still is relevant even with vendor HDD lock-in. Bigger units are no-go and there I see the space for Ugreen/UNAS/TrueNAS competition.
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For me they lack two things:
1) iPhone Photo Backup
2) Synology Drive / OneDrive / Dropbox like Cloud Sync across devices
For Both they should be able to use their existing Remote Access Network, Right?
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Hell yeah. I knew this was the spot for the vid! Thanks!
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synology shaking in their boots even more now
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7:15 Correction, the UNAS 2 is POE++ it’s the UNAS 4 that is POE+++ not the 2
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Given the current prices of the more versatile Terramaster F2-425 and Ugreen DXP2800, one must really love Ubiquiti to buy this thing…
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Thanks for your great reviews. I’m a newish Unifi user and am tempted by the 2 bay NAS. I have 2x 4TB HDDs I could use to storage my photos and mirror my 1TB OneDrive.
Can I attach a 2TB SSD via USB-C and make it availe as another network share? Then I could use the fast and quiet SSD for most and the HDDs to archive stuff. Does seem possible and make sense?
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I’read a comment … offsite backup, yes maybe the most effective use. For now I’ll bet on beelink me mini
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I really wish Ubiquiti would allow Docker and at least one m.2 for this device. However, I guess I can just install linux on a mini pc (to be a server) for Plex, immich, and other apps and then use this Ubiuiti NAS to hold all of the media for the mini pc?
I really love Ubiquiti’s products but I may just pick up a Ugreen or similar for an all in one solution. Going to hold off on buying anything until I see reviews of the rest of Ubiquiti’s upcoming NAS lineup.
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Correct me if I’m wrong, but there is no USB port for UPS data connection.
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I think PoE needs better branding…+++ is a little much.
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I bet someone could design a 3D printable split cage that would allow you to pull each drive individually – even if it’s not hot swappable. That should soothe the nerves when replacing one.
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UniFi taking Synology’s breakfast and lunch
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can you use it as a cloudkey and to record the cameras?
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No phone gallery backup, no home assistant (docker) means a pass for me, unfortunately. It seems it has a lot of potential.
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Can you tell us when you are releasing the UNAS 4 review? I’m hoping the 4 will be fast to edit video from – depending on how the M.2 drives are used. I need to know!!! ????
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Might have a zimaboard inside
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WOW 😉
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20:40 do you know how the backups appear in the remote storage? Is it just a straight copy of the source folder, where I could open the backup SMB or Google Drive folder and have a copy of the files? or does it package the data in some (possibly encrypted) format like Synology Hyper Backup?
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This is quite appealing for a simple TimeMachine backup solution for clients that aren’t too demanding of their networks. Perfect replacement for all those old Apple TimeCapsule devices that are collapsing after all these years.
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Finally! A relatively cheap offsite backup solution for UNAS.
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Good ideas and doing the upsell. This is a basic unit for set and forget type users who don’t need bells and whistles. The entry point is so good!
UniFi can create their own version of SHR and its peak for Synology (not that it already isn’t)
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Can finally ditch Synology. The UNAS Pro is overkill for home users IMO. Will pick up a 2 bay when it becomes available.
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It’s a bit disappointing there’s no M.2 in the 2 Bay. UniFi seems to be looking at these as storage only, rather than a multimedia device like others. It’s a really good price though, might be a good backup for my UGreen NAS?
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What do you know about the snapshot process? The type of mechanism is using, how much space it takes up, that kind of thing.
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$199 for 2-bays or double the price for 7-bays. Hrmmm…………
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Do you know anything about the internal storage that is hosting the os? Is it possible that it can be flashed with something else?
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Great video, thanks! Quick question: is it possible to encrypt the data stored on the hard drives? I don’t want anyone to be able to access my data if my NAS gets stolen.
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is this the first ever PoE NAS? I almost want to buy one just because of that
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It’s going to sell like hotcakes.
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13:41 MacOS user here, one thing I wish they would include on file transfers is the real time transfer speed, like in Windows.
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Ubiquiti needs to get iSCSI support on the Pro!!!
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If it depends of cabled network to work, in order to be powered up, wireless, is not a redundant option… I see this both as a “future option” if they see that this becomes a very good selling product, as a “UNAS 2 Pro” or something.
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It’s a good looking unit. A bit different to the usual shape and style.
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I know they still miss a lot of Synology features… but… still probably acurate “I think they are getting very nervous at Synolgoy HQ”
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Oh boy Synology couldn´t chose a better year to lunch locked hard disks, bring then on competition, bring them on.
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Using POE for NAS is very creative, but it’s a NAS, even as an entry lv one, I don’t trust POE enough for this.
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Been waiting for a new nas from unify. Almost started building a home server! Phew!????
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Wow, this is huge announcement.
I’m more surprised by the choice to go with PoE considering 3.5 inch drive spin up sucks quite some power.
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Oooh a new one
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UniFi has built an awesome ecosystem at fair prices. They’ve made things fairly simple to use and very easy to adopt new equipment. I may eventually add one and repurpose my truenas server.
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Dockers and VM’s do not belong on storage
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Does everything… stores files, shares files, and books your dentist appointment. Brilliant.
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RE: 7:30, it would be better to see dual PSU’s, but Ubiquiti’s “Power Back” (USP-RPS) isn’t a “backup battery failover” it is an external PSU. It is confusing, but that’s how they do their non-enterprise redundant PSUs.
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Is there no way to disable RAID at all? Only have 2 HDD right now, kinda want to have access to both for storage.
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Had mine for two weeks now and it’s a fine NAS but a few bugs. It does desperately need an update. SMB issues when viewing larger MP4 videos want to download instead of streaming over local network.
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Does anyone suspect UniFi will release a non-pro NAS?
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The NAS hat a bunch of minor issues. It does not properly test disk drives inserted. I used an older but not failing one and this causes a ton of problems like random disconnects. Then with 2 brand new 8TB drives copying thousand of small files (like 100GB worth) can take hours or even days! I have let Unifi know about this days ago and so far just one canned response. It is NOT fast in may experience even with all 10gbe connections. Just keeping it real folks.
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Best Review
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Hi, can you advise please, if I connect UNAS Pro to UDM-pro via 10G SFP+, and then from the UDM-Pro connect to my windows PC using 10G SFP+, will I achieve the roughly speeds of 500-850 MB/s (RAID 5 using 3 x Seagate Exos X24 20gb drives). Or do I need a 10G SFP+ switch?
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This NAS vs. Synology???
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Mine just arrived and I’m excited to get it up and running. Will use it to replicate from my Unraid box as well as use it to replace Nextcloud.
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Why should I buy this NAS? Out of curiosity perhaps, but certainly not for practical reasons! Look at a QNAP, Synology and even a UUGREEN NASync DXP4800 Plus. Maybe a 4 bay instead of a 7 bay, but much better hardware and software and therefore possibilities. If I would buy one of these brands, and I only use the bare NAS properties, then you still have a 20x better NAS that is not only more durable, but also many times as much as a UniFi UNAS Pro. By the way, just leave the Pro out of it, Marketing-wise it may sound nice, but it certainly is not. It is a big marketing launch from UniFi anyway. But an experienced NAS user really knows better.
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wish this would come back in stock
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I’ve also discovered the two ports, are not for failover. You can only use one at a time. UniFi advised you can only use SFP+ or RJ45. Not both at the same time.
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I’ve been testing my UNAS Pro with four Seagate 18tb Exos drives in the “more protection” setting. I have uncovered a major issue it has with being unable to download files completely to any iPhone via the Identity app. Regardless of Wifi, or LTE (5G or 4G mobile), if you use Safari, it failed on every file to be able to download a file in its entirety. It would download half an image or half a wav or mp3 or mp4, but not the whole file. Despite multiple emails to UniFi and going through their escalation team they were unable to identify the issue until the end when I worked out it is an issue with Safari. Switching to Google Chrome as the browser on the iPhone, it works! I have advised UniFi and they say they will investigate and look at a possible update as they realise now there is an issue with the driver and a bug in its ability to allow for sharing and downloading to the files app on the iPhone via Safari. Thought I’d share for anyone else experiencing this issue. Would be keen to know if you have found this also.
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FANTASTIC REVIEW, ROB!!!
Thanks a lot!
I am a long time Ubiquiti user, both UniFi (SOHO/semi-Pro use) and UISP (professional use) and although the lacking twistles that others can offer, as you say, this NAS is almost the ideal companion of a full UniFi network.
I’d lke the WORM feature as you mentioned, but hopefully I think they will put in there as soon as possible.
It is very interesting that an early firmware fron Ubiquiti would be as complete and stable as this one, at the moment of the launch.
In my memory, this is almost the first time it happens… ????
Price wise, it is a bargain!
I’ll purchase it, maybe the new revisions in mid 2025… ????
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This is first gen. Give time and they will get up to speed.
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Non-starter for me without an SHR type option. Too bad.
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Thecus 7700 pro was a seven drive nas
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The lack of a professional cloud backup with „time travel“ and restore options are stopping me from using this device
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What a long way to say what a disappointment this is.
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I just need a nas for file and picture storage
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Great review! Thank you.
Just to clarify… I cannot have 2x 16TB disk in here without RAID, together with 4x 4TB disks in RAID10 right? Because the two 16TB ones would be consumed by the RAID as well (as 4TB disks).
Is that correct?
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Unifi has a few great lines: wifi, switching, maybe power.
Then they have some weird stuff:
– Security cameras, where users can’t add cameras in the phone app unless they are given admin rights.
– Signage product that plays content on a TV. Nice idea, lousy software. Transitions between pictures are not suitable for public use.
I didn’t try access control yet.
I wonder how will the NAS turn out.
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My other brand nas come with only single psu, 2 or 4 1gbe ports and cost more, so this is still way better value.
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Say you had an Android phone and wanted to transfer videos to your NAS.
Is the software robust enough to simply ‘send to NAS’ with a couple taps on your phone?
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Not being able to stack these or expand to more bays is such a deal breaker 🙁
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Fantastic in depth review man! I just got the Minisforum MS-01 to replace my DS918+ in terms of server needs, so my Synology is just acting as storage now, so this would be the perfect unit for me to upgrade to 10Gbe to go with the rest of my UniFi stuff besides that it doesn’t have NFS yet :/ quick question, when you say reactive storage, do you mean you can add drives to the pool without wiping and just increase pool size?
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Thanks for the review!
If it had NFS, I’d be down. Without, not so much. Possibly also a radius server or something reliant for auth.
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How does this unit handle drive expansion? Say I have all 7 bays filled and I need more storage…Can I swap a drive or two with higher capacities in place and it dynamically adjust the array to make that space available?
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Good stuff thanks for making this video
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Would be awesome if they released the nas SW as an app for the NVR lineup.
Can’t hurt to dream…
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16 bay version will be here soon and it’s also already at a cheaper price than Synology. They do have stacking but I would assume that’s also possible
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You give UI too much of a pass for being an ecosystem and as such they don’t have to play nice with others. You also mention the word “Enterprise” numerous times. So does UI whenever it can. These two add up to missing one big fundamental, as you put it, which is directory integration and I’d argue licensing bc it’s a huge part of the marketing. Everything “Enterprise” must have directory integration, that’s what pretty much the term really means. UI in its AzureAD/Keycloak/Okta/ADFS/etc knockoff — none of which ALSO requires specialized branded hardware BTW — put LDAP/AD integration behind a per-user per-month subscription, despite the fact that unlike the aforementioned, they aren’t providing any service at all, only the permission to connect your own hardware to your own systems, AKA: licensing.
This storage thingy is worthless is you need to keep separate accounts for it. It opens doors for so many problems. If you want to use the Enterprise moniker you need to integrate or have a system so well thought out that you can cover any need, absolutely any need even if it’s convoluted, perhaps egregious, like Cisco’s. This ecosystem thing is cute until it starts being a headache, the pretty dashboards in day-to-day are rarely useful, and the push for a cloud dependency, the fact that your network devices tasked to guard your data are exfiltrating it from your network, the fact that UI relentlessly pushed for mobile app-based mgmt revokable at any point leaving gear unmanageable (like UniFi Video did) are headaches waiting to happen.
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It’s underpowered, given that it has a 10gb interface , fully saturated with ssd would generate 3500 mbs yet the controller I will be only half the hd capacity transfer rate
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I’m curious if the RAM it does have is even ECC. For me, ECC is a requirement for a NAS.
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Hi there, thanks for the video.
I am looking to see the following:
1. iPhone and Android Applications to backup the pictures from the phone into the UNAS.
2. something similar to google documents to create office documents directly on the UNAS.
3. backup up one entire windows computer to the UNAS, similar to synology backup for business. .
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I will get one because I have a ton of UNIFI in my house (Personally, I would not use Ubiquiti at work. Not Ent enough for that). But what I love about Synology is all the apps you have access to, and the more significant benefit to me is upgradability. On my 1821+, I tossed in a 10G card, two 2TB NVME caches, and 32 GB RAM.
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Thanks.. good review. I have converted all my networking to Unifi and am considering while building a new house whether I want to use Unifi cameras. If this could have replaced the UDM it would have been a no brainer, but as a satisfied UnRaid user of 20 years, the lack of some networking and apparent inability to mix/match drive sizes may make me just get a UDM and keep my existing UnRaid. Definitely something to keep my eyes on though.
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I disagree that this is not an exciting product. I think it is exciting to see such an intuitive user interface, a focus on the basics, and very capable hardware for such an unheard of low price. I don’t use the snazzy bits of my Synology NAS and would prefer the 10Gb/s connection and the intuitive interface of the UniFi NAS. UniFi don’t unecessarily prescribe any UniFi-branded hardware and are yet to remove features that one paid for, like Synology. Can’t wait to see RAID 6 support and perhaps a future model with support for media-transcoding and a USB port.
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for me at thos time That NAS is only for hosting backup of my data and config of Synology nas becouse I need runn all my services from nas. I actuaky run old websites on my nas and run docker on my main Synology. But Synology pice me of when I see deleted apps – webstation plugin deleted from DSM 7.2 – old PHP (Update php code for that sites is not cost effective in terms of time or money to rewrite them to the latest php) and I mast be on DSM 7.1 – deleting support too apps fron old dsm on new version pice me of but I intrested to have uptodate nas.
UNAS for me is also to big and have too big energy consumption and 7 HDDs is not form me.
If UNAS will be based on 4 HDDs UNVR and have webstation like on Synology and docker support (to install DNS Server on difrent docker apps).
About Unifi apps for me will be good Use UNAS as unifi backup target storage for auto backup network or protect or UnifiOS on UNAS – If I see that things on Unifi devices as UNAS I probably will swich from Synology.. – I’m a homrlaber have a unifi network on my home.
I think UNAS Pro ss for me for a bog misness or enterprise where data access tiime or suoort alot users too data on drives, on home is too big and bare additional functions as for energy consumption.
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no advertised hardware specs can fuck off
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Ummm what is a ‘knicker’ ?
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Have they changed shipping date; I saw Oct 25th. Now it says Nov 4th!
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With the limited amount of drives we need stacking
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Does it come with any sync app for windows?
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can you run duel network/gateways with the two nics?
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LOL I’m currently getting away from Unifi. Sick of their “ecosystem.” Sick of their crap. Having to use HTTPS and 2FA for my UDM that’s local.
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The Mac of NAS. Ecosystem is Apple-like
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I haven’t had a “modern” NAS, I have a bit of a basic question. Can I buy this NAS, throw in two 20TB drives in RAID5, and then expand and switch it over to RAID6?
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Its their NVR with different software… I think for MOST. Home users and even small businesses it is a great design!
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Not really a fair comparison to compare to Synology really as Synology are not just a NAS, they have an app ecosystem too, where as the Unifi NAS is just a NAS and no extra crap.
I think the hardware is identical to the UNVR Pro, except the UNAS is 8gb RAM. Price is identical as UNVR, and I feel the price point is pretty good for a 10gbp link, Directory Service integration. UI have advised they are adding Raid 6 in a firmware update, so they do listen to the users. I don’t think M.2 is really a big deal, you can get adaptors from M.2 to 2.5″ 2.5″ SATA will max out a 10gbps connection anyway. The single PSU is not an issue as it supports the Unifi USP device as well when you want redundant power supplies. It would add cost if you had a redundant PSU and this is NOT an enterprise version of the device.
I have seen several reviews of this unit and the speed tends to be consistent. Again, remember this is not an Enterprise version of the device. This is a Pro version, which is in between standard and enterprise. A lot of Synology devices at similar price point only have 2 x 1gbp NIC’s
I feel if this sells well, UI will likely release an Enterprise and standard version, based around the other UNVR form factors they have.
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Is it true it doesn’t do iSCSI or NFS?
If so it should be called the “UniFi NAS Home”, or “UniFi NAS SMB”
I am fine with it not doing containers or VM’s, but not doing NAS features such as iSCSI or NFS, and then calling it a “PRO” NAS is ridiculous
I am even fine with the price point, but the NAS PRO name without iSCSI or NFS is ridiculous
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No USB ports useful for local Backups and also no UPS support due to the lack of a USB port. Major failure if you ask me …
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this iust a simple and very basic NAS / filer but lacks « business » features specially for the number of drives that it holds:
* NVMe Cache
* Better and more capable processor
* More RAM!!
* Dual 10GbE RJ45/SFP+ for LACP & redundancy
* Dual PSU for power resilience
* AD Authentication integration
* FIPS 140-2 compliance for business that is required
* No SCSI or NFS support
Wouldn’t recommend this unit for professional use.
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Raid 6 is a curious omission, with raid 10 you have to rely on luck for more than one drive failure especially here with an odd number of drives. So three options, basic protection(raid 1), advanced protection raid 6) and performance (raid 10 would have been ideal. Perhaps a max version with raid 6 and zfs/NFS is in their future. I don’t see the point personally of adding docker etc when most will use another more powerful scalable server for virtualization (proxmox etc)
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It is “cheap”, short depth, quiet, and Unifi. Those are the selling points. Everything else goes hard to the other guys by all appearances. Qnap has a few very short depth (13cm) NAS as well, but the price point speaks for itself.
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But can it run Plex or Jellyfin?
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its has ssd cache support?
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Look Unifi is a cult like Synology BUT ….a NAS that doesn’t have docker, apps, rubbish ,,,a NAS that actually prioritizes local Network attached storage? …Well that is very interesting to me.
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Huge question for using this at work: What is the Active Directory integration like? I saw the checkbox option being moused over many times, but it was never explored on the video. Can I manage access to shares based on group rights, and apply group rights to a share, or a folder within a share?
From a business perspective, the lack of a second PSU is definitely problematic… they really want to push their weird outboard PSU, I know, but that just doesn’t fly if you’re trying to play with the big boys. For small environments and homes, however, it seems pretty great… as long as what you want is STORAGE and not all the extra stuff Synology and the like have grown into becoming.
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I would love this plus something like the Synology Drive software.
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could i put my backup copies of movies on this and run plex from a computer and access from any tv?
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Excellent review. Thank you. I would really be interesting to knowing what drive setup with RAID5 would be needed to saturate the 10b both for reads and writes. Your numbers are not that great with the drives you used. Could faster hard drives do it? Would SATA SSD’s do it and how many would be needed? I am not buying another NAS with 10g that will only do less than half the network capabilities. With this unit in particular, it really needs to have 10g file transfer capabilities.
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Be nice if they allowed for backups to AWS or Backblaze via their AWS api thing.
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So no PLEX available?
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can i ask what hdd temperature at full load all 7bay?
and the cpu is too weak,that power only enough at 2 bay
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can it present iscsi LUNs at all ?
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How you add Reolink Cams to the unifi protect?????
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A teeny tiny bit frustrated that I ordered a backplane mini-ITX case from AliExpress last month (and am still waiting on delivery) intending to build my homelab server/NAS for my Unifi stack then they announce this thing. Chances are it’ll be like the 2U PDU they make & stay out of stock for 10 months…
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I might’ve missed it, but does it really not have NFS or iSCSI support?
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A NAS that’s not trying to be a golden goose-do-it-all homeserver where you run everything but the kitchen sink on.
Take my money
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Waiting for the NAS pro MAX if it has docker/vm support.
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499?! Holy crap. If this does RELIABLE storage, I cannot care less about Qnap and Synology bloatware!
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GREAT video and I love that they have nailed the fundamentals. In your comparative videos, I suspect it’s going to be REALLY hard to find something in this price range that can even come close. (Find an off the shelf 7 bay NAS for $500?)
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7:26 There is a secondary PSU. Uni does it using the Unifi RPS… That is Unifi’s redundant power supply device. Also if you are worried about noise then RACK MOUNT HARDWARE ISN’T FOR YOU! Only a little over 7 minutes and I already dislike this review.
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Everybody is going nuts over the price but that’s by design. V2 will charge extra for redundant power supply and other status quo features.
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Is there currently a feature where you can backup pc clients like active backup for business on synology?
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♥♥
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Wonder why this isn’t just available as an app for other Unifi devices with disk storage?
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Can this replace Synology Drive?
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But can it run plex?…
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Great comprehensive video. I absolutely love all things Ubiquity but I feel like I want to wait for another version or at least more apps. I have a Synology now and don’t even scratch the surface of the features available (including things like running docker images) but the one thing your video suggested is given the lack of use of file metadata I would certainly be missing some app features like the Synology photo app at least and probably video as well so I could look up pictures by person (facial recognition) or geo (show me my Aruba vacation pictures)
I have wanted all things Uniquity on my network and maybe I just need to wait a few software and maybe even a hardware revision or 2. I feel like it may need more memory and CPU once and IF they start to add more app features.
Also, I wish they would have done an M.2 drive slot at least for caching.
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What is your opinion regarding UNIfI selecting BTRFS for their filesystem? I see many video stating that BTRFS with RAID is not ready for production. This is a topic that I would love for you to expand in one of your future videos for the UNIFI nas.
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Does it have Docker?
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@NASCompares Can you test throughput with SATA SSD setup? Like Samsung EVO drives?
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If the unit included NFS, multiple volumes and mixed hard drive sizes . . . that would be then end of Synology for me.
A luxury version with larger screen – summarising all the data at a glance would be a nice option.
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I’m running a bare metal k8s cluster, so I really don’t need to be able to run docker containers on a nas. This is exactly what I wanted and at a great price. Ubiquiti nailed their first NAS outing
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Great video, this is almost exactly what I have been looking for, just need the ability to make immutable backups (WORM) which it sounds like you are expecting from them in the near future. Will be looking forward to your future videos.
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wow imagine releasing a “pro” NAS that is 100% SATA and not being able to have redundant 10 Gb uplinks…. Ubiquiti has no idea what they are doing
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When the UniFi Pro NAS dies, can you take the drives and plop it into a new UniFi Pro NAS and carry on like Synology NAS’s ?
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Will this run Plex so I can ditch my Synology?
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10:01 you’re forgetting that this is unifi’s “pro” line not “pro max”. “Pro” really just means rack mount entry level SMB for unifi devices. I wouldn’t expect dual 10Gb on the regular “pro” model.
Now a “pro max” NAS I would expect to have NVME, more bays, dual 10Gb and a single 25Gb.
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I would be interested to know how the hardware compares to the Protect UNVRPro? But none of the reviews peek under the lid. Is it the same hardware but with more memory or is the more to it?
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Thanks!
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no x86, no good…
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So, can you designate drives? Maybe use 5 of them for raid and 2x as backup?
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Thinking if these do well they will come out with a ‘Max’ and ‘Enterprise’ editions.
I’ve been looking at getting a Synology or building my own TrueNAS system for home. Now this came out, I have more research to do to see this will work for my home and families needs.
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Does it support NFS ISCSI?
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Having already invested in Unifi gear (including a Pro switch with a spare SFP+ port) and already having a fairly beefy Proxmox host in play to host applications this seems like a great option!
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It’s pretty clear their goal for this device is having basic file storage for users of a home/small business that are going to connect to shared folders on mac and windows systems. What a NAS by definition really is… I see a lot of people complaining about lack of redundant network ports, NFS, iSCSI, etc. IMO, I think all those features they’re wanting are things needed when you are building enterprise infrastructure and Ubiquiti knows that’s really best handled by a proper SAN product from the likes of Dell, HP, IBM, NetApp, etc.
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Can an existing UNVR-Pro be turned into a UNAS Pro? Is the hardware identical? Is the software the only difference?
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How can some spend nearly an hour reviewing a NAS and not address file systems?
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Will this support SATA and SAS drives? Haven’t been able to find this anywhere.
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11:30 on my Synology rs3614rpxs, those read and write speeds are what I was getting with five hard drives, over a SPF+ DAC cable. When I switched to a LC om4 fiber SPF+ cable, I was achieving 750MBps or 7Gbps.
Not sure why I’m getting better numbers from fiber cable over the copper cable. Both cables are rated 10gigabits per second
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Can hardly wait for the Enterprise NVR to be released as a NAS WOW
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How about power consumption? Did I miss that part?
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Where is the non-pro version?
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wudnt piss on this crap if it was on fire
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This is just a NAS network attached storage only. Not able to complete to Synology, QNAP, UGreen, etc. at this time. Is this NAS going to support docker, plex, etc
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Is it possible to use 1-2 HDD as a nvr Storage?
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If this is “Pro,” I wonder about their name for the (maybe) upcoming, more powerful version of this. UNAS MegaUltraProMaxSE
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I smell a Ultra Pro version with NVEM Cache Slot, which will be announced in 3-6 months.
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Have you actually logged in via SSH and poked around the system? I’m curious what filesystem its running on those drives; given the feature set, it sounds like they are using btrfs.
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Does this have a media server capability or a way to link up to Plex server??
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VMs are heavy on the ressources, I could understand why it ain’t there, but missing Docker support is a no-go. I remain on TrueNAS for the time being.
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What kind of raid protection is it using? What about the data if the unit fails? Are able to mix different hdds size like Sinolgy shr does?
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Maybe I missed but is there any thermal test for this machine? The front design of those drive bay let me suspect it might have thermal issue once you use it for some years later.
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ZZZzzzz they should enable this feature for UDM PRO MAX , it has 2 disk slots
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SAS support or just SATA?
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Some what disappointed, this is just a software patch of the UNVR with a slightly more RAM. I’m sorry to say this but I’m not going to buy it, well not until an NVME slot, 1x 2.5 gbe lans and 2x 10 gbe SFP+
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Me still waiting for a EU version of Unifi Cable Modem…
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Dude this is amazing how many people are now entering the consumer space. honestly if the software is stable and good like synologys and as a storage server this seems like a no brainer for a home user who doesn’t want to configure a lot.
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Now put in 4TB NAS based SSDs!
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A product like this is for a specific market and it’s not me. I prefer DIY… A used 12bay 2U server is about the same price but way more powerful and more versatile. I do like and use their networking hardware though.
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would love to see a 1u 4 bay version based on unvr as well.
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Such a detailed review, thank you ???? It is a pity about Docker/VM/Plex support (or lack of!), but I understand why Ubi have focused on making just a NAS right now.
Also re reply you made to another comment, I would love to watch the story of how you had to reshoot this video multiple times. Fair play to you on the patience.
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disappointed in the power consumption. Granted being 7 bays at 500$ seems decent but my AIO server is a much better fit long term. I hope they continue to add to their offering.
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Can you have a few drives in raid and a few as seperate single storage?
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Finally someone is throwing a bomb in the NAS market, $500 is CHEAP for a proper built system with solid software and hardware support from a company that is represented in the whole world.
And those that shout “software”, that is something completely different, it takes way more resources to come up with comparable features that Synology has. If that is the need Synology have you covered at a high price with weak specs.
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How about noise ? Is UNAS Pro quiet ?
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I think it’s very nice to have a system that’s actually ONLY a NAS. I do use docker on my Synology devices at home and in the office. And the Synology backup between these two sites is so great that I wouldn’t be without it.
But for something like an actual online disk system in the office, this fits the bill nicely at a much lower price. Also, as an on-site backup for the backup, this would do well.
The only reason why this is the case is the price, of course. If it had been comparable to Synology, why would you ever get it? It’s nice to see someone hitting Synology with a price hammer, though. They’ve been getting a bit pricey over the years.
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this is 99% what I need… I just now need docker so I can run off site backups to b2
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is there a way to gracefully shut down the nas in case of power outage (with a ups of course) maybe with NUT?
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I know you are looking for proxmox setups with the GMKtecK8 mini PC. Do one with the mini running proxmox and a vm like home assistance os (needs a vm) and another vm or proxmox container to run docker containers. The data or docker volumes are atore in the new Unifi nas using SMB (I hope one day it gets NFS)
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I did have a question, understand you were able to put a large seagate hdd without issues. But don’t you usually need more ram when total storage size is much larger? If so is there a limit? For instance, if I fill all 7 bats with 24tb drives let’s say, is it capable of that? Or will the 8gb ram be an issue?
Also if I put 3 drives inside, does it have the ability to add more drives as you go and expand your storage without wiping data from existing raid array?
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Now I need ubiquity to make a 1U server that can run media apps like plex or any of its alternatives and make it for about $200 since rackmount chassis are about $200 on their own which is insane
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70 c temp ? ????????????????????????
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Can you play 360 video within Unifi Drive?
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Need a SAS model!
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Time to ditch Synology. Had enough.
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No redundant replaceable power supplies or network , awful network options in general … sure feels like they left to much out for a Pro max / SE model later
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Can you mix and match drives? On the nvr pro it made me use old 2tb drives because when I tried to put in 2x 10tb, 2x 8tb, and 2x 4tb, it wanted to only use 4tb of d ery drive.
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My entire feed is now just tech tubers reviewing this device. I’m guessing they must have all been waiting for an embargo to end. I am, of course, watching this guys review because he’s THE MAN.
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Would using SSD’s reduce the top end power consumption and idle power consumption?
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I love your review. No shade on any of the other reviewers, but your review is geared more towards how “I” am looking to use a NAS for my work loads.
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It’s all a bit bizarre. Let me check…. yes, it’s definitely 2024. As always, beautiful interface, Ikea-style Unify minimalism, but NIC redundancy, no NVMe, single PSU, it’s all a bit drab. Can you run TrueNas on it ????
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Can be cool if those who dont have a server rack to be able to have Unifi Drive on a cloudkey g2 to have a small file storage without redundancy. Or even on the drive of a UDM.
As they keep the UNVR frame, im assuming they will have a UNAS Enterprise as well with the UNVR Enterprise frame 🙂
And no need apps on a NAS… its a NAS and not a server… I have Plex on my truenas and I regret not having it on my proxmox instead.
I will for sure ditch my TrueNAS for UNAS and migrate my Plex on a VM
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THANK YOU UBIQUITI…. Finally….
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This is the “beta” product. They will cut production quickly and check how many buyers, then renew the team that made it to continue with next unit. New unit will have slot-in PSU (regular server style) but still no backup, as they want to encourage purchase of the Ubiquiti UPS battery. Two SFP ports (depending on cost and users making use of 10G speed, could be one 10G and one 2.5G) and two RJ45 ports (probably regular 1Gbps or using the new 2.5G that throttles when hot). Likely one fewer drive bay. Newer CPU. More RAM. Double the price.
Pro: all driver ports will be SATA/U.2 compatible, much more expensive CPU, possible socketed RAM slot (onboard or soldered 4GB or 8GB). Pro will be around 10x the price.
Ubiquiti developer team isn’t huge, they will not support apps or VM until far future. Best you can hope is to SSH and attempt to install your own OS.
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its their 1st iteration, give them a break?
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Hey Ubiquiti, how about putting Drive on the UDM and NVRs? I want to learn the software while you are working out the bugs.
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The only thing I would have liked was for them to drop the RPS connection and put in dual hot-swappable power supplies. But I get it, they are using the existing hardware from the UNVR Pro so it takes much less effort to make one of these. I plan on getting two of these. One for my primary backups and then the second one for backups of my backups. I will use my current Synology NAS that I am currently using for backups as a Docker system running HA and Plex and move my backups from Synology to the Ubiquiti NAS.
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@nascompares, Robbie, I don’t think you mentioned the file system. Any idea what’s being used?
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no NFS either?
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I would buy this without hesitation if I could split data pools to have a 4 drive raid 1 nas as a data replication for my Synology, and a 3 bay raid 0 for unifi protect. To add to that, I would love love LOVE to also be able to use the drive bay in my UDM SE as an additional storage option for unifi protect. (I don’t need redundancy for my home cameras Ubiquiti, I just want as many days recorded as drives I have available).
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No SAS drive support either, that backplane SATA only 🙁
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This will save me a ton on having a NAS to backup my 1821+. My old 4 bay Synology died. So, I’m backing up one volume on my 1821+ to another volume on the same NAS, which obviously worries me. I can’t justify buying another 8 bay Synology, but I can justify this easily. As soon as it’s proven itself in production environments, I’m getting one.
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I quite like the NAS and just NAS approach they took. I have separate machines for hypervisors to run VMs and containers on and like the separation. Two of these in a shadow mode active-passive fail over setup would be tits.
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I feel like you miss the point of the single PSU. Unifi devices all ahve a single PSU and they have a solution for it that connects to multiple devices and acts as a secondary psu for them. I do not know of any NAS or computer/server that people typically use at home that have duel psu’s.
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It looked fantastic until I saw the weak CPU it has. It worse than my old 5bay QNAP.
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Great introduction and descriptive video to this NAS. Thanks for your efforts!
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Hopefully the firmware up-downgrade will be even easier than their other network devices, as they do sometimes release stinker of updates. Currently they broke many widely used IoT devices like shelly. It would probably be good for install-and-forget areas though.
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This as a no-frill local data replication of the Unraid and TrueNAS systems I already own. Absolutely perfect.
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This is basically a router cpu with storage attached ????
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Any piece of hardware that requires me to create an account just to be able to is it, goes into the trash.
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can you try via ssh `apt update && apt install unifi-protect unifi-talk` and see what happens? (on an EFG it installs both even though its not supported…)
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They are definitely after the home lab market, not commercial. Ticks all the boxes for me!
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WOW, excellent review, I have Unify network setup at home along with a QNAP NAS and heard on the grape vine that there may be a Unifi NAS released soon, and that price, you can’t go wrong… Can’t wait for future updates to see whether they include docker etc as I do like having the utils that QNAP provide. ????
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For my Home Lab this is almost what I need. I have QNAP 8 bay ARM (~1000€) but it’s not rack mounted. But I also use ssd in raid 0 as a cache. And I have about double the ram. I really use it as SMB store so thats fine. I wanted so bad to replace my QNAP with this but it seems, it will just be a backup for QANP storage with speeds I see. UNAS Pro MAX would just need to have 2 NVME bays for CACHE, double SFP+ and give us the 12 bays and 3U. But who knows, maybe the UNAS Pro is enough for raw video editing of SMB and playing games with Steam?
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Those poor hard drives will have no airflow.
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What rack is that?
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All I need is my private dropbox, ability to back up family phones and view uploaded and edited videos from hols on TV and phone. Dont care about plex or dockers (what are these?:)Is that going to cut the mustard?
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Hey there! Finally it came to life, so many years! Now I’m glad I never did spend time on switching OS on a UNVR, that time is now _saved_.
thoughts: It’s good that there’s no concept of pools. keep it this simple or it will just not fit into its very limited scope anymore.
If I could, and if it would already support the right bits, I would put one in each access switch cabinet and use them as archival storage or similar. Not as team folder or anything they would suck at. but as a way to spread out tertiary storage. The price is right, the URPS connector is suitable, don’t need a second 10g port for that either. Integrate moosefs or similar at the same level of hands-off-no-choices setup and this would be nice[tm].
I also would say the lack of WORM features is a pity. how well do they have that down in UNVR? it’s not a trivial feature to implement to any non-laughable level of reliability.
Given the price point, I’d even ejnoy a toggle switch that makes the whole device read-only and can only be cancelled at the front panel. Fill it, lock it.
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Kinda a bummer, i was holding out building something for myself. Sure Not having plex is a bummer butttttttt…. Not allowing Unifi Protect to be used on the NAS is a deal breaker….
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So 4-5 more years and (if they don’t abandon the idea) it actually might be a nice NAS brand 🙂
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Great review. Could you please also test performance with SSD drives? Would like to see how close to 10 Gbps those transfer speeds can be.
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I still have stuff on a DROBO-FS. So, this might be a great upgrade for me. ????
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hardware raid or softwear ?
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I saw this release announcement and instantly search your channel knowing you HAD to have been right on top of it!
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I guess they had a few nvrs laying artound nobody bought ????
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Good review.
I’ve a question about user management and “directory integration”. Does it mean that instead of creating local users in this NAS, if I’ve a MS AD server on ny network, I can assign rights for some network users on some directories ?
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Great video. Soon as they get Docker; I am in.
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Thanks for really nice video!
When sharing a folder, you can add a user. What user is this? Is this something that you create on your machine?
And how does the remote login for it look?
I’m currently using Nextcloud on Truenas to share large video files. All my friends and clients have a personal login where they view/download/reshare the media. I’m curious if I can replicate this with the UNAS.
Also, when you preview/stream remotely a video file does it transcode? If yes, does it also do h265? Sorry for the interrogation 😛 It’s just it can be a dealbreaker or dream for me depending on the answer.
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I wish you would slow down the screen caps.
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For the price, this is great! I usually have my Plex server and VMs and stuff on another machine anyway. Seems pretty desirable to split the two so you have some redundancy.
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If you are going to say G U I instead of gooey, you really need to say N A S instead of nas as a word 😉 – (nice video BTW, really liked your analysis)
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Is this a VCR?
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So nice seagul shirt ????
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Please can you pop the cover off and show us it’s guts? I’m keen to see if the RAM is upgradable
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Needs iSCSI, NFS and SSD caching. Maybe Pro Max next year will have those.
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Nice start, but not a homerun.
Give it:
More cores/threads (n305)
Replacable RAM
NVME storage
Usb ports
Alligned front drives, not this masonry pattern
I’d like to run docker and apps like photobackup, torrent, jellyfin, home assistant.
Happy to pay twice the price
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Got it, this is intended to be mostly a pure NAS not a compute and app platform. For the cost that is a great value prop for SMB. They currently seem to have more interest in nailing the NAS basics rather than trying to run any and all docker apps. This seems ok. woah, directory integration, hope they extend that to the whole control plane and not charge a subscription for that.
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So, did I understood correctly, that with one drive you cannot set this nas up? It requires at least three hard disks, to set up required redundancy level?
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Given Ubiquiti’s history of never delivering promised features on new devices before they reach EOL, I’ll wait to see if they actually deliver the app that simplifies mounting of drives for end users before I decided to make a purchase… I’m over here having “Security Scanning Radio, SHD-AP” flashbacks…
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So Like it but I think you mentioned that Plex does not work on it at the moment? is there any ETA on that (Getting Plex on the the unit)
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Surprised they don’t sell the drive caddies separately haha
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Ubiquiti systems already run docker under the hood. So, it would be very easy for them to make a “hosting” app available under UniFi OS.
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Great video, lots of details thanks! One question, can you mix and match different HDD sizes? As someone who hacked unvr to NAS, I have installed 4 disks which automatically turned on raid 5. Is this the same case with UNAS PRO?
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Hi there,
Can files on this system be shared using Microsoft DFS?
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Buy yourself some new teeth, please.
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Kind of limited to me but I can see this being great for a lot of people, especially those already using Ubiquity equipment and/or who might be on the fence about buying Synology. Kind of refreshing to see a ‘pure’ NAS though as someone who still believes in separating storage and compute.
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Great video! will be using your link to purchase one.
I currently have a TrueNAS box that has 9 drives in it but going to scale down to 7 drives anyways to save power consumption (yes for me it does make that big of a difference). That is the biggest thing for me… when my NAS is at idle it is 90-100w and reading/ writing heavy it is 160-200 w. I don’t do docker or anything like that on my NAS, I have another machine for that. I just need something efficient and that will do the storage thing well, and it will match my other Unifi equipment…. lol
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I actually like that it’s not a Synology or QNAP. I can’t stand how those brands are trying to turn their NAS into a Swiss army knife. I don’t need my NAS to be a VM host, run Docker containers, host OpenOffice, Nextcloud, Home Assistant, act as a DNS or DHCP server, or provide LDAP, etc. I hve proxmox clusters, DC servers, and Routers that already do all of that. I need my NAS to do one thing, and one thing only—store stuff. And that’s exactly what this does. It’s a no-frills solution for straightforward storage.
That said, Ubiquiti has a bad reputation for exciting the world with new products then abandoning thrm 9 months to a year after release and leaving a bunch of early adopters with useless doorstops after they stop supporting it (ask me how i know), so I think I’ll hold off buying one until its been around for a while but it looks like a great jumping point for a platform. as it seems to be based off the UNVR Pro, I imagine the UNVR and UNVR Enterprise will eventually join the ecosystem as the UNAS and UNAS Enterprise so well see. lot of potential here.
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For simple business NAS this is probably more than adequate but anyone who wants a server like Synology/QNAP or something more advanced like Unraid won’t be interested in this at all. What would be cool is if they launched a 4U rack mount case with tons of hot swappable drive bays so we could build what the client (or Prosumers) wants.
I have a 90TB Unraid server in a desktop style ATX case. There are not many rack mount cases that work great imo other than those massive LTT style servers they build (forgot the companys name) but they don’t just sell the case.
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If it can do storage and permissions better then unraid/truenas then I could care less about vm/docker support. Proxmox does vms better and docker is just better on a dedicated machine
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I’ve got multiple Synology’s in my house, and I love them. I also have a full Unifi setup. I’d love to try transitioning to one of these in the future, but I’m going to wait until the software gets a little more polished, and some more features get added. But $500 for a 7 bay rack mountable NAS is a great price!
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ZFS? If not, I’m not interested
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What’s under the hood? TrueNAS Scale?
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I would want this but it’s lacks Docker and VM support. Without docker this is a deal breaker
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Hi, I like rack unit on wheels. Can you please share the link where you bought it from
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It’s surprising to see the same hardware as the NVR Pro, running Drive but doesn’t support Protect. If you combined the NVR and NAS into a single product line, eliminating the need to purchase and manage two separate sets of drives, I’d be ready to purchase it, even with the current software limitations. Over the past few years, Synology has been scaling back on features while continuing to charge a premium for hardware that is outdated. It’s hard to justify paying top dollar for a NAS that still ships with generations old CPU and 1Gb Ethernet. Unfortunately, UniFi’s solution doesn’t seem to be quite there yet either. I had high hopes that UniFi was going to get me out of the Synology downward spiral.
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What’s the underlying file system, BTRFS? No NFS 3 or NFS 4.1? No iSCSI LUN and target support? Upgradeable memory? Does it deliver data fast enough for 4K streaming (Plex) running on a connected device? Does seem disappointing compared to Synology.
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Question: Does it works with mixed size disks? For example like the SHR in Synology
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I don’t understand the connectivity/single PSU complaints. The thing’s 500 bucks. It’s got SFP+. This is 100% a repurposed NVR, and fit for purpose at a frankly insane price. Great for storing your jellyfin library and similar workloads. Don’t ask it to do stuff it wasn’t designed for.
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Hopefully seperate pools setup will be added in the near future 🙂
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I really like this product. Most home users these days want a “NAS” but really they want a home server that runs a lot of different services and stores files for their network and they think their NAS is supposed be that device. I appreciate that this device goes back to being what a NAS was originally intended to be and seems targeted perfectly to the small business and home business market.
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I’m not sure if it supports dynamic expansion, such as adding more hard drives later like SHR, or flexibly expanding by replacing one hard drive with a larger capacity. After all, not everyone is a professional who would spend a large amount of money to buy all the hard drives at once.
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A true lean, clean STORING machine. WONDERFUL!
UNIFI should pay you a comission. Your excellent thorough review just sold one device to me.
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You mentioned it’s quiet and I’ve heard the same from other reviewers. What HDDs were you using when you put the mic on it? It sounded just like my UNVR, which is very quiet. I can’t get over how quiet these Unifi devices are compared to my Synology with Ironwolf drives, which I can hear 2 rooms away.
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I’m not terribly impressed with the documentation on the website as it doesn’t cover what the back plane and system support. is it all SATA3 6Gb or does it also support SAS 12Gb? yes there’s only one 10Gb port BUT the fewer drives you need to saturate that bandwidth the more drives you can allocate for redundancy if you aren’t just looking to maximize storage volume. Despite my grump there, the price alone makes this device appealing and thanks for the video!
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UNIFI, take my money!!!
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Not sure how they can call this a “pro” device… Great review Rob
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Can you create an NFS share on a folder.
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@liamfoneill We have to wait for the UNAS Pro Max for NVME M.2 drive support!! 😛 😀 🙂
It’s also worth noting 1 PSU isn’t a big deal, it has a connection (from what I see from your pictures) for an RPS.
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now Unifi needs to come out with a 24bay Disk Shelf. 😀
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this NAS is a good machine for back-ups over the network
the only think I want to know is what if the unit fails (mobo/PSU) can I remove the drives and move them to another unit and have the data?
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Amazing review, thanks mate.
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ARM. Not A R M.
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This needs ubiqitui dedicated app for creating backups from phones.
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The photo sharing and date sorting is something that I am glad is present.
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Needs to have SFP+ for me to leave synology 2.5Gbps. I am very happy with synology software ecosystem (drive, photos, audio, video, VM Manager). I can’t leave that either.
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Wheres the little one that was on the website ????
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I’m wondering if the storage can be increased by adding more drives without destroying the data already there. Say you set it up in RAID6 with 4 drives and then add 3 more, do you have to wipe the array and start over or is there a way to expand the storage without losing the data already there? 7 disk bays, 10 gig and an easy to manage interface for $500 seems like a crazy good deal if you don’t want to hassle with a DIY job (which I’ve done and hate).
Edit: LOL should have finished watching the vid first
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Good start with a nice price, but I’ll just wait for the next iteration, unless I get Terramaster or Synology (if they ever release anything) soon.
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Exciting! Can’t wait for the content
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SATA SSD’s are cheap
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Cheap is not good. There could have been a bit more hardware and software for a 20% higher price.
It’s just a data repository with a fancy interface, there’s still a lot to do. I have UGreen NAS as an EA, it could do more than NAS when it came out and it’s not more expensive. For the little that the UNAS can do (lack of synchronization between PC and MAC, no NFS and iSCSI, no M.2 NVMe) you don’t need a “special” interface. And the worst thing for me is that I have 7 disks and I can’t set them up in different storage pools.
Is the video also available in slow mode? Many of the interfaces are hard to recognize and the video is extremely hectic.
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Would rather have a 4 bay at $300 and get two for HA
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Great price imo
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Great Video thanks. I’ve been waiting for something like this since I turned off my Power hungry Apple 1U Servers and huge Apple RAIDs and bought a Qnap, which I have hated for years. All I want is mountable storage , easy to use, no faffing about, couldn’t care less about Apps and Containers and real hot swappable storage. Gonna get one for sure.
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What’s the experience like for an iPhone user accessing photos/videos? Can this replace iCloud?
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give us Max version: x86 platform at least 4/8 core, nfs+iscsi, 4x NICs /2+2 10G/, nvme storage, wasabi+backblaze backup target, native apps or dockers. will happily pay 899+ EUR any day.
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That asymmetry is triggering my OCD,…..
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Sorry if i missed it but do they have any SHR like system for mixed sized drives?
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I guess the price reflect the features. But you can use it for Protect archiving recently released. I guess you have UDMP with protect and archive to this or the cloud. The cpu and memory on this are slim because it can’t run any other apps but it’s good for shuffling files. Also the Microsoft / Google account integrations for identity enterprise could be a big feature for businesses.
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I was excited until I discovered it does not have NFS or iSCSI, as I consider those services a fundamental requirement for even an entry-level NAS. I’d also love to see an NVMe RW/RO cache option.
I’d have instantly given UI my money if it had iSCSI, NFS, NVMe cache, and dual 10GB SFP+.
I guess those will come as a PRO MAX version 😛
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The perfect NAS… a pure local storage device without any extras.
When you don’t want another server, you get a NAS.
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Thank you, thank you, thank you for a great video on this system. I felt your review was very honest and unbiased. I totally agree on your Pro’s and Con’s and for me, I think the ‘current state’ of this unit is underwhelming for my needs. Maybe if they release another unit that will allow third party software, unifi surveillance integration, a better CPU, and memory upgrades. BTW. I’m almost all in on the Unifi ecosystem although I do have a QNAP and Synology NAS.
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Oh, what a great NAS!
Will it be available in Japan?
I am very much looking forward to it!
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Can I have multiple UNAS-Pros? If I need two for more than 7 drives, will that work?
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Well there goes my hope of not having to wait for synology. So you think if we dont get a synology announcement by first week of Nov no release again this year? I dont see how they would miss the holiday buying period. Unless their plan is to sell old NAS on black friday and release the new one right after and really p everyone off.
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a couple of nvme slots just for the caching would have been really nice.
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Sounds like a very good system for a backup for other NAS Systems. The possibility of 7 * 24 TB HDD for 499€. Sounds fair.
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The “Create a UI account” really seems to be disingenuous on UniFi’s part. Not being at all familiar with Unify, I would just think that it’s the normal user name and password to login locally to the desktop *User Interface* and not an online account. Unify could have been far clearer about this but I suspect that a fair number of people would have blindly proceeded with setting up the UI account which is what they are counting on. And, to put that in perspective, think back to your review of HexOS and the really solid push back by those who did not want an online login. I don’t like to do business with anyone who runs their business like that. No thanks.
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Synology is the only NAS brand where I think their software adds value beyond being a storage server. But if I’m being honest, over time as I’ve migrated most of my docker/VM services over to Proxmox or XCP-ng and have very little running on the Synology hardware itself.
I could see myself being interested in exploring Unifi as a storage server in the future, but I’d need a higher performance version.
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I love all the competition that’s popping-up recently.
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What is the Power consumption?
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Defiantly going to pick one of these up. Don’t give a hoot about the docker side, that’s why I have servers. I want a storage NAS that does just that, store things and get data to the right users, I don’t want to host my docker apps from it as well. Great video thanks for the review!
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Terramaster in 2U would be perfect option with non locked bootloader.
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How fast is it with SSDs?
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Is it even possible to saturate a 10G connection with spinning disks? Other than that, i assume this is meant to be connected to an SFP+ aggregator (USW-Aggregation) switch to split between multiple storage units
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A silent rackmount NAS is what I was searching for! Other rack mount NAS are too loud! I do not need docker, because I have docker on my Proxmox computer.
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Basically this is the NVR reworked to see if the NAS will sell, I would wait to the next generation
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This device is the beginning . It’s affordable and it’s easy to use.
If it catches on, you bet you’re bippy, more will come.
I’ve got four Synology unit in use between my family members and they are great but … I would love something that just efficiently stores data.
It also appears that it may easily, allow safe direct remote access.
I’ll have to watch how things go before I would purchase.
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So I see some real good here; one, Unifi has a track record of software upgrades, so I fully expect items like NFS/ISCSI. I do not in any way expect Plex, Docker, etc. and I shouldn’t – that isn’t who this product is aimed at. Two, the remote management through the UI account management system is a potential IT godsend in comparison to the way that this works in Synology. Three, I do like the snapshop methodology in comparison to the way that this functions in synology. Now, the biggest items I see that will be big is that it fits directly into the UI ecosphere, and that is good. Now, I can see a lot of room for improvement, but I can see where this can have a big future with some of the integration options this is going to have. I do like how this is a business ready product that isn’t moving to drives that are made by them and nothing else (screw you Synology on that one)
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Just a correction, the Unifi Power Backup is a redundant power supply, not a battery backup.
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Thanks for the deep dive. Any news on the ability to mix drive capacities?
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Soooooo ugly. I like Unifi, have a lot of their hardware. But just can’t understand why 7 drives? Why layout is so strange? Just… why? Can’t they just stack two 4-drives cases?
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Thanks for the review, well done and thorough. Not surprised to see no availability for Docker at this point. At the price point, this is great for fire storage. It’s not HA or high-speed system, which is fine. There are other players for that type of equipment. It appears that UI gave us a purpose-built system that does one thing really well, at a price that is hard to not smile at.
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This looks like a decent start – funnily enough while eating my bacon, egg and black pudding (and watching this video), I got the email from Ubiquiti titled “Welcome to Unifi Drive and UNAS Pro” (1134hrs EDT). As others have commented though, I won’t be swapping my DS920+ for the UNAS Pro. I do have a Ubiquiti network setup, so was very excited when I saw your video this morning. As always – great video and thanks for taking the time to post!
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I am… underwhelmed.
I was not expecting perfection, but… it lacks so much to be an instant buy. But yeah, it’s truly cheap (especially for Unifi) for a 2U 7 drive bay (which is really something) and would play nice into the ecosystem. But… no ZFS, no NFS, no iSCSI, no docker (because let’s be honest, even if purists say that a NAS should be just a NAS, but… it makes sense to have those hosts a few docker).
I know Unifi makes update, albeit slowly.. but.. at the moment it’s not worth it. But 500 euros… it’s super interesting when they started adding features.
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Does it support Jumbo frames?
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First galance. Where does the air flow come from to cool the drives. As not much air is going to get around those solid caddie faces. As a rackmount. Its supposed to have front to back airflow. The almost solid front panel raises questions.
The network ports have one up and one pointing down is an odd design choice. Not to mention being in the front.
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Were read/write speeds over 10GbE covered in this video?
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Did he say what OS backend it uses and what file systems the HD can use?
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This is just a pure NAS. Nothing more. I mean, yea. But at the same time it does not go up against things like Unraid or Truenas. Even OMV has more functions. For what this is, it is about $200 more then it should be for what you get. I was really looking forward to this to replace my Unraid server, but damn.
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I’d consider going with a Unifi Nas, but I don’t want rack-mount (5 bays would be great) and I’d like to see more configuration options. Docker support would be (really) nice.
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I’m disappointed in the backup options on this nas. Let’s be honest, no one will be backing up their 7 drives of data to Google Drive. That would be a insane cost. So this device doesn’t have a real, usable cloud backup that you can use. It doesn’t also have USB backup, so to backup this device you need to… get another NAS. Because you haven’t payed enough just yet.
I do agree it’s a good value target for a synology backup.
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The device feels like the perfect unit for low cost offsite backup storage. Easy to lock away in a comms rack and you wont saturate the write speeds over the wire.
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Amazing review! Thank you!!! Excited to see Uniquiti launch a simple JBOD NAS and looking forward to the future of where they take it!
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This is an superb video !
You really know your stuff and you really gave us an insight into the product, what it can and can’t do with lots of visual showing of it
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Looks like a VCR lol
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This looks really interesting to me. My big question though, what if you get more than 1 of these? Say I expand and need more than 7 drives, could I buy a second unit and have the pools merge between the 2? Because that would be cool. Also seeing performance stats of SATA SSD’s would be nice too!
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people complaining about the features for a $499 NAS drive from Ubiquiti, common guys .wait for next more expensive version will probably have all those missing features.
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No tower or 10“ version. Not suitable for a small rack in confined spaces. So my choice will be still Synology.
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what a disappointment, only 1gib network port. I would have liked it to have another sturdy switch, depending on the equipment, at least 1/2.5/5gib network connector.
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The demand was a bit manic. I missed the official announcement but guess it was today. Interesting there is only 1 of each network connection but let me watch the video
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It’s an ARM device (no virtualization means it won’t replace a home server). NEXT! ????????
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This seems interesting and I might even pull the trigger. It would be nice to have a single pane of glass to manage everything and not to have to worry about Synology and the lack of 3rd party device support. I mean from a NAS perspective it literally does just that and anything else can be added later.
Also, do we know anything about the file system or did I miss it in the video? Is it BTRFS or EXT4?
Also, more information about the backups would be awesome! Like is this sort of like hyper backup?
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Great and very timely review Thanks! Did I understand you correctly, can you uses different sized drives in the raid array (like Synology Hybrid raid) or do all drives the array need to be the same size?
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Brilliant and Honest review as always, thanks. I don’t think I will dumping my TrueNAS Scale box anytime soon, but it’s one to keep an eye on ????
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So the non pro will be the 4 bay nvr?
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Isn’t there a NAS brand called U-NAS?
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Can this do Plex hardware transcoding? ????
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I have nevered owned a NAS…just an OWC Thunderbay 4 nut need a NAS u now. So now that this item is released I’m wondering whether for my first NAS I should still stick to getting the Synology DS1522+ as a SOLO videographer and editor using 10TB per year?
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???????????? and couldn’t even get a 2.5gig port on it jeez
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why only 7 drives, at least 8 properly aligned drives…
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i wonder if the software plays nice if you wanna add a 2nd unas pro to your network down the line.
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SATA 2.5 inch SSD compatibility?
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Funny how SpaceRex uploaded his video at the same time. I guess NDA?
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Genuinely worried about this as ive been using a UNVR Pro for a while as a nas using SSH to install samba. I hope they dont artificially block people using the UNVR Pro now that there is an official NAS offering
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They could’ve gone with an Intel N100 or N200 which would’ve been so much better, even if they tack on an added $100-200 dollars to the price tag, unfortunately I’ll not be considering it. It’s nice tho, maybe they’ll release something with an Intel/AMD chip in the future…
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Well Robbie, you said so many times that with synology you pay for the software more than the hardware. It’s painfully obvious looking at this device.
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It’s one strange NAS.
Strange layout. Strange software. Strange hardware. Thermals are dubious. Rackable but lacking features standard for rack hw such as modular redundant PSUs.
Good for undemanding brand fanboys only.
When b- and c-tier brands and even nonames have started pumping out decent NAS devices, seeing such a device from a respectable brand is utterly perplexing. I’d love to get into the product development team’s heads and learn their thought processes that led to the appearance of this bucktoothed inbred monstrosity…
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Phenomenal review and THANK YOU for the well labeled chapter marks in the video. Wanted to jump around to just my highest importance spots first in the video before watching end to end.
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Release date? The US Site still has zero information about its existence
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Can’t wait for UNAS Pro ‘Max’ which has Docker and VM support ????
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Meh, the hardware specs are weak…
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Seems a little underwhelming re-using the same hardware as the UNVR-Pro with a 2012 processor and no NVMe caching.
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I think you hit it on the head at the end Robbie. I’m defo going to be replacing my onsite backup ext. drives with one of these (going by how stuff sells out on their site though, that’s probably going to be around 4/3 2025!). But it won’t be replacing the Synology for day to day work stuff that’s for sure.
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This thing is like half the price of a 8 bay synology. I was getting ready to buy an 8 bay in a couple months, but I might get this now.
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I am Supriesed by the Price. Would have expected at least double that.
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Awesome review! Can you set disks to spindown for lower power consumption when not in use?
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553,20 € the price is not that bad , but I Don’t know what the software has , does it use btrfs or zfs ?
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So is this the unvr but with new software. How are the temps.. 70?? . Can it transcode .. sorry soo excited, disappointed and confused at the same time by this nas
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Still don’t like their io on the front
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Good start, but no NVME, NFS or iSCSI – meh
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Their thinking on the 1G port is probably to use that on a management network for config management and use the 10G for data only. At least that’s usually how appliances set up like that are intended to be used. Would be nice to have more ports for flexibility though if you’re trying to do something like directly attaching vm hosts.
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and they couldn’t manage to align the FRIGGING DRIVE BAYS !!!
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Looks like your last video comments for opening CCTV and NAS has been addressed? I have just purchased the UCG_Max (F*kn brilliant!) and adopted 2 ONVIF camera (out of 3 in my setup) Awesome! And now I can also bin my sh!ty Google Doorbell and get the G4 doorbell! Oh.. and a Unify NAS? I hope i can connect that extra storage to my UCG Max!
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The price tag surprisingly low for 7 bay and it looks so good at the front
????
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I’M SO EXCITED! Let’s see how it stands up to Synology!
– Jonathan
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finally
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